South Dakota Community Foundation awards $10,000 to Rosebud Scholarship Fund

The South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF) recently awarded a $10,000 Native American Education Fund grant to Rosebud Scholarship Fund. Funding will support scholar program which support highly motivated Sicangu Lakota students who want to make a difference in their community.

"We cannot thank SDCF enough for trusting our organization with this grant award. It feels extremely validating of the hard work we have done for students,” stated Troy Blake, Rosebud Scholarship Fund Executive Director. “This award will allow us to focus more on the quality of student programming and support. Sometimes all it takes is for a few people/organizations to believe, and from there momentum builds towards high grade impact. We believe this grant is a momentum builder. Wopila tanka (thank you very much) for your belief in our organization and our students.”

Founded in 2019, Rosebud Scholarship Fund has a mission to empower Sicangu Lakota students through scholarships, mentorships, and training to increase student degree completion and sovereignty of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate. The scholarship program launched in the spring of 2020. This program offers an easy, no-strings-attached $500 per semester incentive to any Sicangu Lakota student enrolled in a higher education program. When the student is awarded this incentive, they sign a pledge to use their education to create the change they are wanting to see in their home reservation of Rosebud. As part of the program, students are also provided with peer mentorships and professional development opportunities. 

“We are proud to assist Rosebud Scholarship Fund with providing incentives for Sicangu Lakota students seeking higher education opportunities that will make a difference on the Rosebud Indian Reservation,” says Ginger Niemann, SDCF Senior Program Officer. 

To learn more about funding opportunities offered by the SDCF, please visit our website at https://www.sdcommunityfoundation.org/